


Panic! At Achievement City

by The_Playground_of_Alcor



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-03-03 09:47:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13338660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Playground_of_Alcor/pseuds/The_Playground_of_Alcor
Summary: Ryan and the crew have difficulties





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by "This Is Gospel" and "Emperor's New Clothes" by Panic! At The Disco, with more to come

“According to reports, the criminal gang known as The Fakes attempted to perform another of their infamous heists again tonight, this time with disastrous consequences. In a statement by the police issued earlier tonight, their goal was a little-noticed warehouse complex near the city limits, a secure facility housing a number of vehicles and supplies for the locally-based Merryweather Security Agency. The plan seemed to be for the Fakes to infiltrate the facility by using a stolen transport truck to smuggle themselves inside. Things took a turn for the worse, however, as a small explosion rocked the complex at approx. 2 o’clock this morning. It’s unclear as yet the exact source of the explosion, but it was clearly unintentional, as the fire it produced then ignited a series of fuel tanks, sparking a secondary, and much larger, explosion that awakened much of northern Achievement City early this morning. Witnesses who emerged from their homes observed the 6-member gang known as the Fakes rapidly fleeing the scene. It’s unknown at this time whether or not they achieved their goal, but--”

The news report cut out suddenly with a _crack_ as the plasma screen splintered, a bullet hole appearing in the middle of it, effectively turning it off. Geoff’s head whipped up at the sound of the suppressed pistol, glaring at the black skull mask. “Hey! The remote’s 3 feet away, asshole!!”

“Wouldn’t have been as satisfying.” Ryan grumbled as he lay on the couch, letting Jack finish up her impromptu stitching on his side. He winced as she pointedly poked at the bloodied gash.

“Stop shooting shit, dummy.” She said, resuming her needlework. “It’s not like we need to add to the list of stuff we need to replace.”

Michael paused his pacing the in the kitchen to shoot a glare at Ryan. “Yeah, like my fucking MOGAR car!! Do you have _any fucking clue how much it cost to make that thing, Ryan?!?!”_

“Not to mention, all the money we funneled to get into that place.” Geoff half-muttered, staring at the unopened bottle of whiskey on the table in front of him. “The bribes, the supplies, the uniforms, the truck… Fucking shot, right down the goddamned drain…”

“Oh, really? Gee, I had no fucking idea!” Ryan hollered back at Michael, sitting up to glare back, and receiving another glare from Jack. “I guess I should have thought before having that _misfire, huh??”_

“Hey, stop aggravating each other and let me stitch you up, asshole!” Jack said, trying to keep Ryan down on the couch, before he pushed her hands away and jerked his shirt back down.

“No, fuck it, I’m done, ok?” Ryan growled, sitting up with a barely concealed wince and groan. “Go see to Gavin, he needs it more than I do, I’m sure.”

“Jeremy’s got him. Besides, Gavin didn’t get a chunk of tanker truck embedded in his ribcage, did he?” She started reaching to get back at the wound. “Look, I’m almost done anyway, just let me…”

Ryan stood up suddenly, this time with an audible grunt of pain, then stomping over to the bar to grab the can of diet coke sitting there. “No, just leave me alone. Hell, according to Michael here, it’s not even half what I deserve.”

Michael glowered at him over the counter. “You’re damn straight, it is. Why the _fuck_ would you even fucking bring a fucking RPG on this heist?? You knew we were trying to be just a little bit sneaky!”

Ryan slammed the can down onto the counter, spraying it with coke, and returned the look. “Look, I’m the fucking Vagabond, ok? Weapons are kind of my thing. I always bring one, because it always pays to be prepared! This time, it fucked us over, yeah, but it’s not my fault!”

“Not your… _Fucking really????”_  Michael’s voice rose by several octaves as he tried to process Ryan’s counterargument. “It’s your fucking weapon, of course you’re the one that’s fucking responsible for it!! I can’t believe… I mean, you really said…. **_AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!_** ” He let out a scream of frustration, hands reaching out to pantomime strangling.

"Jesus fuck, maybe I should take that offer…” Ryan muttered under his breath as he took another drink.

A silence fell on the penthouse, and as Ryan looked around to meet everyone’s gazes, he realized he’d said that last out loud.

“Offer?” Geoff asked quietly. “What offer? Like, for another crew?”

Ryan thought for a second, before slowly nodding. “Yeah, like for another crew. Hell, it hasn’t even been the only one. I get them all the time. Maybe I’m just starting to actually consider it.”

Jack didn’t say a word, simply gathering her medical supplies and leaving the room toward the bathroom where Jeremy had taken Gavin. Geoff seemed dumbstruck, turning his gaze out the window at the slowly rising sun.

Michael, in typical contrast, had no end of a response to that, launching into a nearly incomprehensible tirade against Ryan and the idea of him leaving. Ryan, however, largely tuned it out. Finishing his coke, he left the main area, retreating to his room, quickly packing up his supplies and necessities. Most of what he needed was already stored in his bug-out bag, making the process that much quicker.

Pulling on his leather jacket with a wince and a sharp intake of breath, he cautiously but quickly made his way out of the apartment. Down the hall, he heard Michael still raging, interspersed with various sounds of agreement from Gavin and Jeremy. Slipping past the living area, he saw Geoff standing by one of the windows, staring out at the brightening sky. There was no sign of Jack, but Ryan had a solid idea of where she was.

Descending to the garage, Ryan walked towards his bike until a voice made him stop. “So, you're really doing this, huh?” Jack asked as she came around the corner to stare at Ryan. “You're really leaving the crew?”

Ryan watched her for a moment, trying to see if she intended to stop him. “I am.” He responded simply. “Are you going to let me, or will we have a problem here?”

Jack stayed silent for a moment more, evidently asking herself that same question. Finally, she spoke. “No, no problem. Just wanted to give you this.”

At that, she tossed him something, which he deftly snatched out of the air. “And this is?” He asked before looking at the object.

“It's a reminder. And a promise. When you use that, I want you to remember that we stopped being a simple crew a long time ago. We have more meaning to each other than most of our blood relatives. So just know, however long it takes for you to realize it, you've always got a home here.” With that, she walked past him, making her way back to the penthouse.

Ryan opened his hand and looked at the pearl-handled butterfly knife, one of Jack's favorites. “And what if I don't come back?” He called over his shoulder.

Without stopping, Jack hollered back. “Just don't die. You know I'm shit at funerals.”

Ryan stared at the knife for a few more moments in the silence that followed. Finally, he pocketed it, and continued on to the bike, loading his bag on it before hopping on and accelerating out of the garage. Looking back over his shoulder as he rode down the freeway, he watched the building disappear, soon followed by the rest of Achievement City.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, shit, an update? That's weird...  
> I ran across this in my Google Drive, and surprisingly actually had motivation and inspiration to try and pick this back up again! I won't try and predict when this'll update next, but...

The warehouse doors rolled open to admit the crew, welcoming them back home. The spirits of the Ravagers were high, having successfully pulled off a very lucrative heist against the local branch of the Russian Mafia. Since the infamous Vagabond had joined up with them, few other gangs or organizations wanted to touch them, so they made the most of it.

As soon as he passed into the warehouse base, Ryan peeled off from the group to make his way to his corner. One of his conditions for joining with the Ravagers had been an area of perfect privacy, where he could take off his mask and relax for a time. Lately, however, he seemed to keep the mask on more, even when outside the view of others, receding deeper and deeper into his Vagabond persona. Despite being a part of this crew for almost a year, he hadn’t yet gotten comfortable enough with anyone in this crew to unmask himself for them, and frankly, he didn’t see that moment coming anytime soon.

He’d established a routine in his time here. Whenever he wasn’t working on a heist or job of some kind, he was only ever in the workshop, cleaning or otherwise working on his weapons, or else in his corner, walled off from the rest of the largely open area, and away from the rest of the gang. Whenever he returned from a heist, without fail, he went directly to his area with the intention of bringing himself down from the inevitable adrenaline rush the job gave.

Today, his walk to his corner was interrupted as he happened to hear one of the other Ravagers mention Achievement City. Pausing by a door, he listened in.

“I know, right?” Someone (maybe Frankie?) said. “I never woulda figured on the Fakes losing their spot as top dog there.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” John said. “I guess the Vagabond was holding them together more than anyone else figured. Well, anyone aside from the Eternals, obviously…”

At this, Ryan stepped around the corner into the makeshift break area and made his presence known. “What happened to the Fakes?”   
  
The three gang members there sat up straighter as he entered. None of them had gotten quite used to seeing the death-masked visage of the Vagabond in their midst, making them all a bit jumpy around him. That general feeling of unease had only served to drive Ryan further into his persona still.

“Oh, hey, uh… V-Vagabond.” Frankie said hesitantly. “Uh, we were just talking about how they’d gotten taken down by another gang. Heh, guess you were doing more than we thought when you were there, huh?” He gave a half-hearted smile, trying to be sure he stayed on the Mad Mercenary’s good side, assuming he even had one.

Ryan stayed still for a moment before turning and walking out of the room and to his own area, ignoring the whispers that followed his quick pace. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it, letting himself think for a moment.

_”Why am I letting this get to me?”_ He thought as he moved to his workdesk. _"I left them behind, I’m done with them. They didn’t want me, they didn’t need me. Fuck ‘em, they’re all assholes anyway."_

Even as he thought the words, however, his hand slid into his pocket and pulled out a butterfly knife with well-crafted pearl handles. He held it in his open palm, staring it down as though it might come to life and stab him.

He remembered his life before joining up with the Fakes. A broken child running from a broken home, who soon found a talent for death and destruction. One hard lesson after another after another after another, before he finally learned not to trust anyone, to not give up even a hint of himself, lest it be used against him. Skill growing, honing itself, until he simply became the best in his chosen field. A reputation built up, one of utter ruthlessness and implacability. A mask, a persona, that become more of him than he had ever been.

And then, the Fakes. Just another crew, just another job. Except… They weren’t, and it wasn’t. The sheer passion they exuded for their tasks, the exaltation at their own successes, and their grudging acceptance of their failures. Their connectedness. Their bonds.

And their willingness to allow him to experience those bonds for himself.

“You _fucking asshole.”_ He said softly to himself. Shoving the knife back into his pocket, he set about his task with a resolve that hadn’t been seen in months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At the sound of knocking, Katrina looked up from her work on her car to see the masked Vagabond standing there, a bag slung over his shoulder. Standing, she grabbed a rag to wipe off her hands and approached.

“I was wondering when you would hear.” She said as she looked into his eyes. “Guess this is your notice of resignation, then, huh?”

He nodded silently.

“Yeah, figured as much.” She sighed, tossing the rag aside. “Well, you stayed longer than I thought you might, so that’s something, I guess. Good luck.” She turned back toward the car, but stopped as he spoke.

“Can you do me a favor?”

She looked back at him and gave a slight shrug. “Depends on what it is.”

“Send a message to the leader of this new gang in AC. Tell them that I’m coming.”

Katrina grinned at that and nodded. “Goddamn, you are ballsy, aren’t you? Yeah, I think I can do that. Maybe they’re the ones I should be wishing good luck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryan's got a solid task ahead of him, looks like, and not one even he can face alone...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, I'm just as interested as anyone else to see where this is going! I have a general idea, but some of this is all new to me.

“Aww, dammit!” Ray Narvaez Jr. groaned as he died once again on his handheld game. “Just can’t get past that jump, what the hell, _stupid…”_

Saving the game, he tossed it aside and rolled over to look through his scope again. He’d made a decent little nest for himself atop the Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. A little shade, decent stash of food, he’d even gotten a mini-fridge and hooked into the airport’s power for his drinks.

The job today was a simple one: there was a deal going down atop one of the parking garages. He and a handful of others were there to keep an eye out for anything hinky, especially any signs of a double-cross. Ray had set up his camp the night before, partly wanting to be extra ready, but mostly so he could have a little chill time without any interruptions.

Today, his thoughts were a bit distracted. He’d heard about the Achievement City and what happened to the Fakes through his usual grapevine. Hell, he’d even heard when Ryan had split from them. He kept meaning to go back soon, but he had always been the “eye in the sky”, had tried to avoid being the “man with the plan”.

The parking garage looked clear, so Ray shifted his scope down to watch the people entering and leaving the airport terminals. It was apparently a very popular day for flights, as there was practically standing room only right up to the curbs. People of all sorts made their way with their luggage; young and tall, old and short, Ryan, skinny, fat…

_”Wait… Ryan?”_  Ray thought, zipping his scope back where he’d just been looking.

Sure enough, leaning against one of the columns , was none other than Ryan “Vagabond” Haywood. Normally, that would have been odd enough a coincidence, but there was also the fact that he was staring _directly_ at Ray’s perch.

As Ray watched, Ryan gave a quick series of signs, like they used to use back when they were both in the Fakes, for use during those rare missions where quiet was actually important.

“Finish your business. Lounge. Important.”

And with that, Ryan turned and walked back into the airport itself. Ray watched him go, then shook his head and refocused on the job at hand. Surprising though it may have been, Ryan clearly wasn’t there to throw a wrench in anyone’s plans for the day, so he could wait until after this deal with finished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slipping through the crowd passing every which way through the terminal, Ray turned the corner into the lounge, immediately spotting Ryan sitting at one end of the bar with a can of Diet Coke. _”Well, he hasn’t changed that much, clearly.”_ He thought as he took a seat beside the man, letting the relative silence sit for a moment.

“So, how’d the job go?” Ryan asked before taking a sip from his can.

Ray shrugged. “Guess it went ok. Didn’t have to shoot anyone, so I’d say that’s a win.”

“Yeah, but it’s not quite as fun, is it?” Ryan chuckled at himself, glancing over at the purple-hoodied man beside him as he nodded.

“Yeah, you’re not wrong there. So, what’s up, Ryan? Haven’t seen any of the old crew since I split, like, 4 years ago, then I hear you follow suit over a year back, and _then_ a few months after that, the rest of the crew gets taken down by another one. And now, like 7 months after all that, you. So. What’s up?”

Ryan sat in silence for a moment, staring ahead at himself in the mirror behind the bar. “If you’re wondering why I took so long, I… I didn’t exactly keep up with the news from AC. But, as to why I’m doing something now… I’m gonna put things back the way they’re supposed to be. Achievement City is Geoff Ramsey’s town, always has been, always will be. I need to set things right.”

Ray nodded slowly. “All right. But, you do know where Geoff is right now, yeah?”

Ryan gave a sharp nod, his grip tightening on his can. “Yeah. Captured by this new crew, held at their base. Rookie goddamn move, if you ask me. First thing you do in a new territory, you remove the old leadership. You sure as hell don’t keep them alive.”

Ray turned to face Ryan. “You’re gonna need help, though. Even as awesome as the two of us are, and we’re pretty damn awesome, I don’t know if we’ll be able to take on a whole gang by ourselves.”

“I know. That’s why we’re going to get everyone else back together first.”

Ray frowned. “But all the reports said Geoff was the only one who survived the takeover.”

Ryan chuckled and, for the first time since Ray had seen him, grinned. Not just smiled, _grinned._  “Oh, Ray. Come on, now. Of all people, you believe the reports?”

Ray tried to hold his serious face, but it just wasn’t possible. He quickly broke and laughed sharply. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Especially with those assholes. No way they let something like a total area takeover and elimination kill ‘em. So, who are we going after first?”

Ryan downed the rest of his can before standing. “Who else? I’ve got a lead on where she’s got herself to, but I wasn’t the only one. First things first, we get Jack out from the trap she’s about to find herself in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One down. On to the next...


End file.
